All For Anzu
by bewdifuldragon
Summary: Mokuba needs a tutor. Anzu needs a job. And Seto kind of needs to get over himself. Because not all things can be rationalized, and trying to do so might just destroy everything. Azureshipping with a side of Mokuba adorableness. Vaguely Post-Battle City AU. Mild language, rating subject to change. Title & description update because of reasons.
1. Exhaustion

**Hey! So, it's been literally forever since I've posted a story. The idea for this one came to me while I was analysing characters with one of my best friends (because that's totally something normal people do) and I kind of couldn't help myself.**

 **I decided to use the Japanese names simply because I really like Anzu's name and I had to type it a lot ok. Don't judge me :P**

 **I will try and update at least once a week, so stay tuned, and enjoy ^.^**

 **...**

 **"Bitterness is a paralytic. Love is a much more vicious motivator." ~Sherlock Holmes**

 **.**

As his front door came within reach, Seto Kaiba breathed a sigh of relief. After yet another long, hard day of work with no break to speak of, the idea of his bed was a welcome one, and it kept him lively and upright when all he wanted to do was collapse where he stood. Little did he know what fresh hell awaited him inside.

After stepping through the door, as he always did on a weekday, Seto called out for his younger brother. Now that they were settled with no travel plans or upcoming tournaments to speak of, Mokuba was back in school, and Seto had dove head-first into plans for Kaibaland. It was a little odd for Seto, not having his brother around all the time as he'd become so accustomed to, and it made their time together all the more precious.

"In here!" came a voice from a nearby room, and Seto followed it.

At the dining table sat Mokuba, barely visible behind a giant pile of books and papers. When his big brother came into view, Mokuba looked up at him and smiled. "Good afternoon, bro. How was work?"

Seto opened his mouth to answer, but something else caught his eye; the young woman sitting next to Mokuba, staring up at him with eyes the same shade as his own. Seto recognised her right away.

"What the crap are you doing here, Mazaki?" Seto demanded flatly, folding his arms over his chest and staring at Anzu.

For her part, Anzu frowned and opened her mouth, probably to offer a retort, but Mokuba intervened. "She's teaching," he explained.

"Isn't that was I pay to send you to school for?"

"You did say I could choose anyone I like to tutor me," Mokuba reminded him. It was a conversation Seto vaguely recalled having.

..

 _It was the evening of Mokuba's first day back at school, and his mood nowhere near matched his usual vibrancy. Naturally, Seto noticed._

 _When questioned, Mokuba sighed, and slumped in his seat. "I'm so far behind, Seto. I've missed out on so much that I have no idea what's going on, or where we're up to."_

 _"_ _You're a smart kid," Seto encouraged. "I'm sure you'll figure it out."_

 _But Mokuba shook his head sadly. "No. My teacher said that, even though I'm clever and I know a lot about programming and the stuff we do at KaibaCorp, I'm still far behind on a lot of the other material, and it's going to be difficult, if not impossible, to catch up in time to pass this year. Oh, Seto, maybe we should go back to the way things were, and I shouldn't even bother with school."_

 _Seto felt a small pang of guilt. It was, after all, kind of largely his fault that Mokuba missed so much school. Between tournaments, running the company, and the god complex Seto would never admit to having, wherein his little brother was only safe by his side, he'd all but forgotten that school was a thing kids Mokuba's age were meant to do._

 _If there was one thing Seto wanted for his brother, it was that he should have the normal and happy childhood that Seto himself was deprived of, which was why he'd bothered enrolling Mokuba in school at all, rather than just hire a full-time tutor. That wasn't an ideal he was about to give up on._

 _"_ _Ok, Mokuba, I'll make you a deal. Why don't you choose a tutor to help you catch up? Anyone you like, and I'll pay for it."_

 _Mokuba brightened instantly. "You think it'll help?"_

 _"_ _Of course." A genuine smile – a very uncommon sight – settled on Seto's face. And before he had so much as a chance to blink, Mokuba launched himself at Seto for a hug and bolted from the room._

 _.._

With a groan, Seto rubbed his eyes with his thumb and forefinger. He was way too tired to deal with this shit.

"I did say that," he agreed "but I didn't think your pool of potentials covered the geek heap. Seriously, Mokuba."

Anzu rose to her feet suddenly, knocking her chair over in the process. "Could you maybe not be an obnoxious jerk for five secnds? Anyway, it's not like you'll be around enough to see me, so why should it bother you that I'm tutoring your brother?"

Seto scowled. "For your information, Mazaki, I happen to want the best for my brother. When I said he could choose a tutor, I thought he'd find a real professional who understood the material they were teaching. Not some brainless valleygirl with no formal qualifications to speak of."

Anzu went to argue, but once again, Mokuba came to her rescue. "Come on, Seto, don't be like that. Anzu is really clever, and she's a great teacher."

Seto highly doubted that, and would've fought the issue further, were his eyes not burning. Truth be told, Seto didn't have an issue with Anzu personally – in fact, he'd barely spoken two words to her in the past – but she was one of Yugi's friends and that was enough of a reason to protest, in his mind. However, three days without sleep was taking its toll, and it was all Seto could do to not collapse on the dining table, let alone argue with Anzu.

"Fine," he said with a groan. "But I will be watching you very closely, Mazaki, and you had better not mess it up."

"I'll count on it," Anzu mumbled under her breath as Seto turned on his heel and strode out of the room. As he left, he heard his brother say, "That went better than I expected!"


	2. Chat

**Two chapters in two days. I'm on a roll! (Don't expect it to last though xD)**

 **It's only a short one, but...Mokuba. So. Yeah.**

 **Enjoy!**

 **PS, I love reviews & faves almost as much as I love Seto Kaiba. **

...

The next day was a Saturday, or as Mokuba called it, a Setoday. Much to the delight of the dark-haired boy, his big brother didn't have to go to the office at all on weekends. Of course, this didn't stop Seto from working from home, spending time on other projects or obsessing over his duel deck, but time spent together was still time spent together, and that was good enough for him.

Seto was entirely absorbed in his work, sketching concept designs for the hero of KaibaCorp's newest game. He always liked to be involved in every step of the creative process. Mokuba dutifully kept quiet, even making sure to keep the television down. Every so often though, he'd turn to his brother and open his mouth as though he wanted to say something, but would always think twice and turn back to his show.

Of course, Seto had noticed every time, and although Mokuba didn't mean for it to be, it was becoming a very distracting cycle. Eventually, he put his papers down with a sigh, and took the remote off Mokuba to mute the TV. "Out with it."

"Out with what?" Mokuba asked, an innocent look adorning those grey eyes. Seto didn't buy it for a second.

"Say whatever it is you want to say," he prompted, and Seto could tell from the look on his brother's face that he knew he was caught.

"I just wish you hadn't been so rude to Anzu," Mokuba said. "It's not like she ever did anything to you. Besides, she's a really great teacher. She's patient and nice and lets me work at my own pace. She's already been very helpful."

Usually, Mokuba was good to go along with anything Seto said. It was rare for his baby brother to defy him, so when he did, there was usually a good reason for it. If Seto was perfectly honest – and that didn't happen very often – he knew he needed a good kick in the right direction here and there. So when Mokuba did speak up, he tended to listen. But even so, he'd never admit he was wrong.

"Mokuba, not only is she entirely unqualified, but she's one of Yugi Mouto's friends. I don't know how or why you expect me to condone this."

Mokuba stood up on his seat and put his hands on his hips. "Yugi and his friends aren't as bad as you make them out to be, Seto. Besides, how can you even judge Anzu's teaching when you've barely spoken to her yourself? You're so busy hating the group that you forget to get to know the people in it."

"I don't forget," Seto countered calmly. "I just don't see the point in wasting my time."

"That's mean." Mokuba dropped back down in his seat. "And I get it, I do. You were way too young when you started taking care of me and of the company, and you had to grow up really fast. But big brother, the whole world isn't out to get you. In fact, some of them only want to help." And with those words, Mokuba exited the room, leaving his confused brother to think over his words.

Seto wasn't the soul-searchy type of person, and certainly never wasted his valuable time analysing his own actions or anyone else's, or looking for hidden meanings in things. To him, the world was a black and white place. Things either benefitted him, or didn't. He was either the best, or not. And the people around him were either Mokuba or they weren't, meaning anyone who fell into the latter category weren't his concern. Everything in his life was all or nothing, and that was how he kept his head, running such a large company and raising such a small child, even while he was still a child himself.

But Seto had always known that he and Mokuba were nothing alike. The younger saw every shade of grey, as well as all the other colours of the rainbow. He was sensitive, and intuitive, and full of that childhood wonder that Seto himself never got to experience. That was why, then and there, Seto decided to let Mokuba have his fun with Anzu. But if either of them thought he'd just leave the situation alone, they had another thing coming.


	3. Callout

**Third chapter! If you get the butler joke, I love you.**

 **Don't forget to review & share with your Azureshipping buddies ^^ **

**...**

Mokuba tapped his pencil on the table – a trait he'd inherited from his brother – while Anzu calmly explained the math problem before them. Watching Seto play card games that often required quick calculations his whole life had made Mokuba proficient beyond his years at basic math, but even so, a new school year brought on new equations even he'd never seen before. However, when Anzu talked them over, Mokuba's face would light up, and he'd begin scribbling down his answers with great enthusiasm.

Seto watched all this on a screen in his office. If either Mokuba or Anzu knew he was spying, he'd surely never hear the end of it, but he had to do what was best for his brother. Admittedly, a small, spiteful part of him hoped that he'd catch Anzu screwing up and that it would justify his doubts, but over the last two weeks, he couldn't rightfully fault her on anything.

"Damnit," he hissed, slamming a hand down on his desk. Seto knew that this watchfulness was cutting into his work time, and that there were a million and one other things he should be doing. But here he was, obsessing over what logic told his was nothing.

A nervous glance at the clock caused his heart to sink. It was only five thirty. On a quieter day, Seto would be preparing to leave the office shortly in order to make it home in time for dinner. But today, due to someone else's screwup, his schedule had gotten all muddled, and he had a meeting at the ungodly work hour of seven o'clock. That meant that he wouldn't get home closer to midnight, completely missing the chance to see his brother at all today, on account of the fact that he'd left the house before Mokuba got up that morning.

Seto tried to train his eyes back onto the papers he was supposed to be signing, but his attention was continually drawing itself back to the live feed from his home.

 _Damn her._

Seto was already in a terrible mood when he slammed the door behind him. The hour was late, he was tired, and the meeting, while being professionally successful, was personally draining. The language barrier made everything longer and more complicated than it had to be, but such was international business.

The last thing he wanted to see was a premium member of the Loser Club lounging on his sofa like she owned the place, calmly caught up in some book. Especially when that person was the very woman who had been unknowingly pissing him off all day.

"What are you still doing here, Mazaki?" he asked, with a little more poison in his voice than he'd intended.

Anzu looked up from her book and offered Seto a kind smile – and for some reason, it irritated him further. What was she being so nice for? It was no secret that they didn't like one another, but even so, she spoke with sweetness in her voice. "Mokuba's asleep, I just wanted to keep an eye on him until you got home."

"Sebastian is more than capable of that. You're his tutor, not his nanny." Sebastian was his butler and general housekeeper, whose duties occasionally involved childcare – but only occasionally, as at the end of the day, Seto was still the only one he trusted with his brother's wellbeing.

"I know, he said so. But it was late, and he was tired and had been working hard, so I told him to get some well-deserved rest. Really, it wasn't any trouble to wait up."

Like Seto could care if it was any trouble. "Whatever. Well, I'm here now, so you can go."

Anzu closed her book and stood up, frowning a little, but looking more concerned than angry. "Why are you in such a bad mood?"

"Because," he answered, "I don't like coming home after a day of dealing with problems to find another one sitting on my sofa." Deep down, Seto knew his comment was a little uncalled for. So far, Anzu had only been kind to him, especially given their history. And so far, there was no real evidence to suggest that she wasn't a good fit for Mokuba.

Anzu looked hurt but hardly surprised. "Well, I think I can take a hint." She picked up her bag and shot Seto a look of irritation. "But so you know, I wouldn't be here in the first place if _you_ hadn't kept your brother out of school because it was inconvenient to you. Mokuba deserves better."

And with those words, she headed towards the door.

Seto didn't even try a retort. She was right, and he knew it. It was his fault that Mokuba was behind in school, and he really didn't have an excuse. He wanted to pursue his domination of Duel Monsters, run his company, and he didn't want to be away from Mokuba while doing it, despite how selfish that might be.

But that wasn't what stunned him. First, it wasn't common practise for the people whose pay checks he signed to call him out, but more than that – he'd just insulted Anzu to her face (and yeah, he felt a little bad, but he wasn't about to admit he was wrong), and her first concern was defending Mokuba, not herself. The black-haired little boy had only ever had one other person like that in his life – his own big brother – and that meant more to Seto than this whole fight.

"Thank you," he said quitely. So quietly that he wouldn't have been sure Anzu even heard him, had she not paused in the doorway, as though debating whether or not to reply, before leaving.


	4. Apology

**Fourth chapter! It's only a short, time-skippy one, but the next one will be longer and fluffier. Remember to follow, share, and reviews make my day ^^**

 **...**

Over the course of the school year, Seto and Anzu fell into a comfortable routine. To begin with, they'd exchange the odd pleasantry when they were forced to be in the same room, but over time, that slowly evolved into friendly smalltalk, and even the occasional engaging conversation.

Seto's spying eventually tapered off to the occasion check-in, as opposed to the 24/7 spying he'd adopted in the beginning. He slowly began to – well, not _trust_ Anzu with Mokuba's safety, per se, but he was less constantly terrified that some disaster would befall his little brother while she was around.

For his part, Mokuba seemed to be generally happier for having Anzu in his life, so much so that he even asked her over on school holidays, and she seemed more than happy to oblige. Seto didn't even mind. One of his chief concerns was that, being brother, father _and_ mother was a little out of reach for one person; and Anzu was making up for that nurturing, womanly influence that Mokuba so deserved. It was obvious to Seto, who had known his baby brother only, oh, his whole life; that Mokuba was beginning to look up to Anzu in the way that a child looks up to his mother. Whether she realised this or not, he couldn't say, but it was both exciting and nerve-racking at the same time.

This was how things continued, until one little piece of paper changed everything.

Towards the end of every year, Domino Primary held an event to acknowledge the students with the best academic performance. And much to his own delight, this year Mokuba was one of those kids. From struggling at the beginning of the year, to this – and as he'd told Seto, "I couldn't have done it without Anzu!"

That was why Mokuba asked them both to come. Of course, Anzu responded with great enthusiasm and vehemently rejected any credit, and Seto, who had never been fond of award ceremonies (that were dreadfully dull), well, how could he say no?

Seto drove, picking Anzu up from her home on the way through. She wore a blue dress that matched her eyes, and for the first time in all these years, Seto couldn't help but notice that she was a very beautiful woman – before immediately ridding his head of the thought.

Before she became Mokuba's tutor, Seto had only ever looked at Anzu, and seen one of Yugi's annoying groupies before. But this last year had taught him a valuable lesson. Anzu was a person outside of her circle of friends, and she was personable, and friendly, and unconditionally kind, and dare he think it, even halfway entertaining.

But most importantly, she had been exactly what Mokuba needed. Seto didn't like to admit he was wrong, but he was smart enough to know when to admit defeat.

After a night full of excitement – especially after being named the highest achieving person in his grade – Mokuba had fallen asleep in the car on the way home, after simply being too tired to keep his eyes open. An awkward silence overtook the front seat, which Seto eventually broke after summoning the nerve.

"This might just be the only time I'll ever say this, but I was wrong."

"Hm?" Anzu snapped out of her daydreaming, and looked at Seto with a confused expression.

He kept his eyes focused on the road while he spoke. "You…weren't so bad for my brother after all."

Out of the corner of his eye, Seto saw her smile. "Thank you."

"I know I haven't exactly been…welcoming towards you. And it's not because of anything you did. It's only-"

"Kaiba." Anzu reached out and put her hand over his – the one that wasn't holding the wheel – effectively shutting him up, and thank goodness for it, because he hadn't quite known where he was going with that sentence. "You don't have to explain anything to me. I get it. Mokuba means the world to you, and you only want the best for him. I can respect that."

Most people were willing to pass off Seto's indifferent cruelty as just that, especially those who were subjected to it. So it was more than a little surprising that Anzu even bothered to consider his position. Still, she was right. She was bloody right, and it scared him, because no one had ever been properly right about Seto Kaiba before.

He put his other hand on the wheel, and tightened his grip slightly. Anzu averted her gaze, as though wondering how to phrase her next question, before asking, "How do you do it?"

"Do what?" he spared her a glance.

"All of it. Run the company, raise Mokuba, and stay one of the most proficient gamers in the world. It's sort of amazing."

Seto almost wasn't sure of what he was hearing. "You think what I do is…amazing?"

"Well, yeah." A slight blush crossed her cheeks – or maybe that was just the awkward lighting. "I mean, how do you even find time to breathe?"

"It isn't without difficulty." A tiny grin appeared on his face as he spoke. "But this won't be all for me. I'm working on expanding Kaibaland all around the world."

"Why?"

Seto deliberated briefly on whether or not he should answer, but something in him gave way, and in a moment of weakness, he told her all about his plans. "When I was a kid, at the orphanage, Mokuba and I used to build imaginary theme parks in the sand. One day, I decided that I'd build the ultimate chain of theme parks around the world, and I'd let underprivileged kids – kids like my brother and I – in for free. It's not very smart as far as business plans go, but…" he trailed off upon realising just how excitedly he was speaking.

Anzu giggled softly. "But it's a wonderful plan as far as being a good human being goes. I think it's sweet that you want to bring joy to kids. You know, Kaiba, you're not so bad once you get over the arrogance and attitude."

"Nor are you, once you get past the impertinence."

Shortly after, they arrived at Anzu's home, and Seto walked her to her door. For the first time since meeting her, he was actually sorry to say goodbye.


	5. Risk

**Hi ^^ So, as promised, longer and fluffier. Reviews mean more to me than card games ;D**

...

The summer holidays usually saw quietness and empty rooms in the Kaiba mansion, as Seto and Mokuba spent nearly every day in the office, treating this period like it was no different than the rest of the year. But this time was different. Anzu continued to visit regularly at Mokuba's request, and to his surprise, Seto didn't seem to have anything to say against it. In fact, secretly, he was enjoying it. Not that he'd tell anybody that.

Mokuba wasn't the only one that Anzu was having a positive effect on. Seto found himself smiling a little more – usually to himself and when no one was around – and these days, even his heavy workload seemed easier to bear. The change in him was such that Mokuba felt compelled to mention it, if only to watch his brother's reaction.

"Seto," he said to him, while the elder typed away at the computer in his office. "Can I talk to you about something?"

Seto's hands hovered above the keys hesitantly. Last time Mokuba uttered those words, it resulted in an awkward conversation about the birds and the bees which ended when Seto faked a phone call from his secretary. To this day, Mokuba still doesn't know that there never was a fire in Seto's office – and he never will.

"…Sure. What?"

"It's about Anzu," he said. "Seto…you like her, don't you?"

"She's adequate," Seto answered vaguely, his fingers moving deftly over the keys once more.

"That's not what I mean." A mischievous grin lit up his face. "You love her!"

Suddenly, Seto missed the sex talk.

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

"You do too!" Mokuba bounced on his heels, barely able to contain himself. "I've known you my whole life, bro. You're so much happier when she's around, even a blind man could see that! Oh, this is awesome!"

Seto leaned back in his seat and held a hand up to silence his brother. "Don't get ahead of yourself, Mokuba. I think you're only seeing something you want to see. Don't think it's escaped my notice how much you adore Mazaki."

"Of course I do, but that's not what we're discussing here." Mokuba took the seat opposite his brother. "I may be a kid, but I'm not naïve. I know what goes on around me, you know?" His grin turned to a smirk, and Seto's stomach dropped because he knew what that smirk meant. "Not that I could tell you how, because if I did… _I'd have to do something unspeakable to keep you quiet._ "

 _Oh, damn him._

..

 _"_ _Oh, hi Kaiba! Is Mokuba home?"_

 _Normally Sebastian would answer the door, but Seto was on his way out anyway. "Yeah, he's just upstairs."_

 _"_ _Oh, great! I have a book he wanted to borrow." She held up the aforementioned book, so only her blue eyes peered at him over the top. Even still, he could tell she was smiling, because her smile didn't stop at her mouth but always shone in her eyes too. It was something he couldn't help noticing._

 _"_ _Well, come in then." He peered at the title. "What kind of book is it?"_

 _"_ _Fairy tales. And-" she interrupted the groan before it got halfway out of Seto's mouth. "Don't go calling them a waste of time, because I know you were gonna. But I was telling Mokuba about some of the stories in this book, and he said he wanted to read him, so I promised to bring it over."_

 _"_ _I'm sure he'll appreciate it." He walked with her into the sitting room._

 _"_ _So," she prompted, placing the book on a table. "How are the plans for Kaibaland going?"_

 _"_ _Great!" he answered happily, before checking himself and sobering a little. "We're working on a laser tag kind of attraction with a twist."_

 _"_ _Ooh, what's the twist?" Her eyes widened a little, and Anzu actually looked curious._

 _Seto leaned in close, as if to whisper the secret to her, and murmured, "If I told you that, I'd have to do something unspeakable to keep you quiet."_

 _Anzu burst out into giggles, and Seto watched her laugh with a feeling of pride. That wasn't the kind of reaction people normally had to the things he said. He could honestly say that their relationship had evolved to the point where they actually had a good friendship going, but somehow it didn't feel like enough, and it was moments like these where he felt that the most._

 _Anzu wiped a couple of tears of laughter from her eyes, and their gazes met, before Seto realised that he hadn't moved away. There were some things even someone as stubborn as he was couldn't ignore – like the way his heart was beating erratically in his chest, and how her proximity only seemed to add to it._

 _It was a cliché Seto never thought applicable to himself. In fact, truth be told, he'd always imagined Mokuba would fall in love long before he did, if he ever did at all._

 _But he wasn't about to throw rocks at her window or any of that nonsense. Seto was nothing if not sensible – well usually – and when the thought of acting on these feelings entered his mind (like right now), he'd counter them with everything that could go wrong. What if she didn't feel the same? Or worse, what if she did, and they tried this whole relationship thing, but it didn't work out? In the end, it wasn't just their feelings on the line, but Mokuba's too._

 _Mokuba's joy was Seto's joy, and that was what kept him from simply leaning down and kissing her, despite the fact that her lips were pink and perfect and she seemed to be growing more irresistible by the second, and – damn it, get a grip, Seto!_

 _He cleared his throat and finally backed up. "I…should get to work."_

 _"_ _You should," Anzu agreed._

 _He nodded a little awkwardly and turned to leave, but was stopped when Anzu called out for him. "Wait, Kaiba!"_

 _"_ _Yes?"_

 _"_ _I have something for you before you go." She stepped over to him, and he stood frozen in place by nerves as she stood on her tiptoes and kissed him gently on the cheek._

 _"_ _Have a good day," Anzu whispered. And after that, Seto was sure that he would._

…

"You were eavesdropping!"

Mokuba wagged a finger at his older brother. "We're not discussing me right now, we're discussing you."

"Yeah-well-I…That is to say…" he groaned. Busted. "Mokuba, one day you will learn that not everything is as easy as, 'I like you, you like me, now let's—'"

"So you admit it! You like her!" Mokuba laughed, and bounced on the spot again.

"I'll admit to nothing of the sort," Seto argued.

"Setooo." Mokuba stepped over to his brother, and put his arms around him. "You've done such a good job. You gave up _everything_ to raise me and provide for me. All of your energy goes into either looking after this company or looking after me, and you've more than earned the right to be happy. Anzu makes you happier than I've seen you in a long time. I think you should go for it!"

"Go for…what, exactly?" Seto wasn't a 'huggy' person, but nonetheless, embraced his little brother.

"Ask her out," Mokuba urged.

"Mokie…" it was a nickname Seto hadn't used in a long time, but it seemed right for the moment. "This isn't only about me. This is about you, too. What if it doesn't work out, and things become so awkward that we can't have Mazaki over anymore? What will you do then?"

Mokuba only smiled. "I'll be proud of my big brother for trying anyway."


	6. Leap

**Two chapters in as many days - I'm on a roll! One fave/follow/review = one hug for Wingman Mokuba.**

...

The only thing worse than an awkward silence, is a one-sided awkward silence.

It was late in the evening. Anzu sat in a seat on one side of the room, with Mokuba next to her, as she read out of a book. Seto sat opposite, typing away at the keyboard on his laptop. But as busy as he looked, in actuality, there was very little work being done. He was too preoccupied, considering the various ways to approach a sensitive topic. And his brother's totally not-subtle hints, while well intended, were not helping.

"So, Anzu, do you ever think about what _your_ Prince Charming would be like?"

"Aren't Princes a little old-fashioned, though? I think high-class businessmen are the modern day Princes."

"Hey, Anzu, how would you feel if your Prince Charming already had a kid? Say, maybe, a boy who was his brother rather than his son, but he was raising him anyway, which if you ask me is a great quality to have in a hus-"

" _Ahem_."

A few times, Seto had to interrupt Mokuba when he took his prying too far. But fortunately for him, Anzu was good with kids, and took it all in her stride, not seeming to find anything uncommon about Mokuba's blatant remarks.

Seto could hardly blame him, though. It wasn't like he had a lot of dating experience.

Should he admit such a thing out loud, someone would likely call bullshit – after all, he was young, intelligent, rich, reasonably good-looking, and had the gosh darn cutest little hanger-on, if he did say so himself. According to more than one of his wannabe dates, there was little in this world capable of kick-starting the ovaries like a man who was great with kids.

Oh, no, Seto Kaiba never had trouble getting a date – that is to say, he wouldn't have, should he had bothered. And it wasn't his complete lack of interest, curiosity, or attraction that ever stopped him; rather, the issue was as simple as, he didn't have time for that kind of thing. He was too preoccupied taking care of Mokuba and KaibaCorp, and he didn't need some girl taking up what little attention he had left to give. A girlfriend meant unnecessary complications. But Anzu didn't complicate things, no. She actually made them easier. Like right now, for instance.

It was the school holidays, but regardless, Anzu was still around all the time, taking care of Mokuba and leaving Seto free to get done what needed to be done. She'd proven herself, even in Seto's critical eyes, and it only made him more wary about messing things up.

After a while, it became clear that Mokuba wasn't having an easy time staying awake. He was yawning and rubbing his eyes, which were red and unfocused. Anzu closed the book, and put an arm around his shoulders. "Why don't you head on up to bed?"

'I'm not tired," he lied, and Seto knew he just wanted to stick around to so as not to miss anything.

"Oh, but I think you are," Anzu insisted calmly, and after yawning again, Mokuba relented surprisingly easily.

"Alright, I am." He got to his feet and swayed on the spot briefly, before hugging Anzu and Seto, and heading out of the room. But not before he shot his big brother a look – and it didn't take a genius CEO to figure out what it meant. _Just do it, already._

When they were alone, Seto closed his laptop and set it aside. "Any plans for tomorrow?" It was a lame attempt at striking up a conversation, he knew.

Anzu smiled, and shook her head. "No. Jonouchi and Honda tried to talk me into seeing this movie, but it's all about Zombies eating people and guts flying everywhere – not really my idea of a good time."

"Ah." Truth be told, that wasn't Seto's idea of a good time either. "So you don't like movies? Or is it just ones with zombies and entrails that turn you off?"

"Well." A ghost of a smirk tugged at the corners of her lips. "You'll probably find this a little stereotypical, but I do like a good Rom Com. I saw this one last week – basically, there was this guy who wanted ask out a girl, but he was too shy to do it, even when his bold and perceptive little brother gave him every opening to."

"That sounds like a terrible—" Oh. "Hey! How did-?"

"Your brother is a lot of things, and transparent is one of them. For that matter, so are you." Anzu crossed the room, and sat by Seto's side. "I've never known you to be shy about anything, so why don't you just ask me already?"

She was right, of course. "Ok. Will you go on a date with me, say, this Friday night?" Not very original but at least he got it out.

"Oh, I don't know." Anzu was suddenly acting very unsure, but Seto could tell she was doing it as a joke. "I mean, it's all so sudden."

"Ok." He rolled his eyes and stood up, but Anzu reached out and took his hand.

He couldn't stop himself from smiling when she laughed and said, "Of course I will!"

Neither one of them missed the loud "WOOHOO!" from just outside the door.


	7. Reward

**This chapter is only a short one, because I've been hard at work, imagining what a date between Seto and Anzu would look like. So in the meantime, enjoy this little filler ^^**

 **Don't forget to leave me your thoughts/opinions/feelings/drabbles/freakouts/whatever in a review :3**

 **...**

"What's this?" Seto eyed the pile of papers held out before him with suspicion.

Mokuba beamed, and dumped the heap on his brother's desk. "Ideas."

"Ide—what for?"

"Your date. I know you don't do this a lot, and you don't have a lot of free time, so I thought I'd help."

"Huh." Seto began sifting through the list, each one written more ridiculous than the last. "Dinner in Paris, a trip to the moon, a unicorn ride to—Mokuba, we've been over this. Unicorns aren't real."

"That's what everyone said about Dragons, and yet," the younger pointed out; and in his own head, the logic probably sounded reasonable.

"I appreciate the thought, but I really don't need your help," Seto insisted. "I singlehandedly turned this entire company around; I'm sure I can handle one romantic evening."

"So, you already have a plan?" Mokuba asked.

"Well, not as such," Seto answered slowly. "But I'm sure something will come to me. I mean, how hard can it be to plan a good date?"

Mokuba put his hands on his hips and glared at his brother.

"…Alright." The elder of the two sighed. "Let me see what else you've got."

…

It took Seto a solid half hour to even get a foot out the door, as Mokuba had spent the whole evening (and the better part of the afternoon) fussing over him. But the important thing was that he _did_ make it out of the door, and all the way to Anzu's place without any major disasters occurring. So far, so good.

Seto took a deep breath and knocked softly, and Anzu's voice greeted him from the other side, assuring him she'd be right along. But before he could call back, the handle turned and the door opened.

There stood Anzu, looking positively radiant. Her short hair was tied up in a classic updo, but a few strands hung loose, framing her face perfectly. The dress she wore was a pale pink one; knee-length and off-the-shoulder, with a bow at the waist. Seto didn't know a lot about fashion, but he did know that it looked _stunning_ on her – there simply wasn't another word for it.

He was so lost in his admiring that, for a moment, he forgot to speak. It wasn't until Anzu turned around to lock her door, that he realised that he should probably greet his date.

"Hi," he said. "You look…great." _Oh, nice one, Seto. You're a regular Shakespeare._

Anzu seemed to appreciate the compliment though. "Thank you," she said with a smile. "You look pretty handsome yourself."

Mokuba had chosen the suit – Seto's best navy one and matching pale blue tie, but he hadn't been able to resist adding his own personal touch. Namely, a long, dark coat he usually saved for special occasions. Personally, Seto didn't see anything remarkable about his outfit, but he was happy to get any sort of praise from Anzu.

"So, what are we doing tonight?" she asked excitedly, as Seto walked her to his car, and held the passenger door open.

He settled in the driver's seat. "Well, I don't want to give away too much too soon, but I can tell you this – it was my brother's idea."


End file.
